The two weeks of my yearly Japanese trip felt like barely two days… but going back to the “normal” life took me much longer than usually and the cold, dark winter days really made me feel lazy, sad and not motivated to carry out such activities as imaginative cooking, blogging or even visiting my beloved…Continue Reading “Snacks, Dips and Finger Food for New Year’s Eve”→

This was one of earliest recipes on my blog. Some time in 2011. It seems an eternity…. The photograph screamed for an update, so when I made another batch last week, I took new photographs and thought I’d write about the financiers once more. I took this decision also because I have recently read on…Continue Reading “Financiers (French Almond and Butter Mini Cakes)”→

So simple and soooo good! I wish I could say this more often about the dishes I love… I made this improvised sweet treat last weekend after bringing a big bag of my favourite plums and was really surprised to discover how excellent such an easy and quick dessert turned out. The same recipe can be made with any stone fruit,…Continue Reading “Baked Damson Plums with Yogurt”→

Spring has been particularly cold this year and strawberries (I mean the edible ones) are late, so I keep on buying other fruits. A week ago I was thrilled to find exceptionally aromatic and sweet organic passion fruits and then wondered what dessert I could include them in… Finally, I thought the cleaner the flavours, the better. I’m glad I steered…Continue Reading “Light Yogurt Mousse with Passion Fruit”→

If most of your Christmas dishes are time-consuming or difficult, the last thing you need to complicate your life with is an elaborate dessert. Leafing through my old hand-written copy book and browsing through my blog, I realised most sweets I prepare got easier and quicker throughout the years. Thanks to this, the dessert is the part of the meal I am least…Continue Reading “Easy Festive Sweet Treats and Desserts”→

The weather during my first two September trips to Japan was surprisingly hot and the humidity level unusually high, especially for a European. I soon discovered the best remedy: cold green tea from vending machines. I also quickly learnt to recognise the better-quality Japanese tea bottles and drank liters of this soothing beverage every day. Last week we experienced several particularly hot…Continue Reading “Wobbly Astringent Matcha Dessert with Agar”→

Setting a mixture of yogurt and fruits with a reduced amount of gelatin was a breakthrough in the sweet part of my cooking. Such a tiny change allowed me to obtain a mousse instead of a hard jelly; I went so crazy about this easy dessert, it has replaced the majority of my rich, high-calorie homemade sweets. I’ve been making its different versions…Continue Reading “Unsweetened Strawberry and Blueberry Mousse”→

If your only idea of a perfect sweet treat is a thick slice of a rich, frosted cake, then you might not appreciate this post. If, however, like me, you avoid (or at least you try…) doubling the meal’s calorie intake in its last course or/and if you are thrilled at the idea of guiltless, but luscious refreshing desserts, this almond cream is…Continue Reading “Light Almond Cream with Plums”→

This year, thanks to favourable weather conditions, cherries have appeared in France and Switzerland early, so I have been enjoying them for quite a long time. This refreshing slightly tangy dessert keeps them raw, untransformed, preserving not only their taste, but, I guess, much of the precious vitamin C. Obviously, they make a perfect pair with dark chocolate. The photograph you…Continue Reading “Greek Yogurt and Chocolate Mousse with Cherries”→